BORN IN SLO
Being born in San Luis Obispo I grew up like your average boy. Collecting baseball cards and comic books, playing army and dudgeons and dragons, building forts, riding bmx and body boarding the waves of Avila Beach where the water was freezing (didn't own a wetsuit) and the waves always seemed big. Into my early teen years I took an instant interest to skateboarding looking up to to the Future Primitve crew mainly consisting of Lance Mountain and Tony Hawk. I would spend any free time at the local mini ramps, reading Transworld Skateboarding magazine or just street skating in my local town. Never getting rid of my skateboards, but my interest in riding waves came full circle where I now found myself at my local surfing spot of Pismo Beach. After school my friends and I would get dropped off by one of our moms and another mom would always pick us up. On the weekends I would get dropped off and would easily spend all day at the beach with maybe $5 in my pocket and the only rule was I wasn't allowed to me in Pismo after dark because "it was dangerous". My interest into motocross kicked really kicked in when I received my first dirtbike a Yamaha YZ 80 which was purchased from a local racer who had it all suped up.
Meeting Gabe in junior high which led me to meeting his dad Aaron who to this day is the most talented person I have ever met. Aaron had worked for my grandpa at Goss Body Shop doing pin striping and on his own shaping and glassing surfboards, painting, photography, water housing maker and building sculptors. Junior high hits and its where I meet Gabe Loyd one day as he's at school handing out Surfing and Body Boarding Magazine stickers to various kids. Finding out later his dad is a senior photographer for both magazines (and went to high school with my mom). Gabe and I become really good friends starting in junior high well into high school leading to playing remote control cars, Zelda and Mario Brothers and multiple body boarding trips to Pismo and eventually up the coast once he received his license.
PISMO BEACH
Now around 17 I found myself taking a photography class which was two periods long where I would bolt to Pismo to take pictures of the best local surfers I could find which included Sean Askins, Walter Cerny, Rick Gannon, Chris Doll and body boarders Simon Mason, Heath Erickson and Jeremy Haughey. Looking back these were some of my favorite years of shooting surfing. I by now have purchased my first camera a Canon t90 and buying a water housing from Aaron along with his Canon 800mm manual focus lens.
NORTH SHORE OAHU
Made my first trip to the North Shore of Oahu at 18 years old after working all summer at a local restaraunt called Trader Nicks located in Pismo Beach. I stayed witb the Arakawa famly at Waimea Bay then eventually finding a long term place at Sunset Beach. I bought a beat up car and had budgeted for around $100 a week for food and gas.
"Same sh_t different decade ...never followed a single trend ...made my own" - Joel Tudor
SURFING MAG & TRANSWORLD SURF
I eventually made the move from Pismo Beach and landed in Cardiff By The Sea (home to guys like Rob Machado & Paul Roach) where I was a senior photographer for Body Boarding & Surfing Magazine under the watchful eye of Larry "Flame" Moore and editor Nick Carroll. Trips included Isla Natividad, Cabo San Lucas, Mentawais, Costa Rica, Peru, Tahiti, Puerto Escondido and El Salvador.
transworld surf came into action with editor Joel Patterson and photo editors Steve Sherman and Peter Taras. travels included Australia, New Zealand, Spain, France, Portugal, Galapagos, Ireland, Barbados, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Chile, Brazil, Reunion Island working within the WCT tour whith surfers including Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Mick Fanning, Dane Reynolds, Taj Burrow and freesurfers such as Benji Weatherley, Donavon Frankenreiter, Dave Rastovich and so many more.
ABOUT
Jack English is a top notch editorial and advertising photographer based in North County San Diego who has been senior photographer for multiple surf magazines including Surfer and Surfing Magazine as well as Transworld Surf and has worked on numerous assignments for ad agencies to news outlets such as ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX along with hundreds of magazines from Maxim, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Mens Health and many more. Jack’s travels have been around the world to over twenty three countries following the most elite surfers’ on the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) and the WSL (World Surf League) world tour from Dane Reynolds to Kelly Slater and John John Florence. "Jack has always been one of the most sought after photographers upon the most elite surfers." He has worked for the top brands from Target, Burton, Reef, Pacsun, Nixon, Vans, Oakley, Billabong, Quiksilver, Hurley, RVCA, Rip Curl, Swell, O’Neill and Volcom.
"RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG" - Meatball
It was a simple Hell On Wheels post I found one day on Scotty Stopnik's instagram where I was introduced to vintage motocross racing, I was hooked.
SEA OF SEVEN - RAISE YOUR FLAG
From my background inside the surfing industry and the love of vintage motocross I started Sea Of Seven - "Where The Sea Meets The Dirt" - Jack English
